The other day I wanted to make muffins, but I wanted to create a breakfast style muffin. Orange, Honey and Cinnamon muffins were the end result. As I wanted the muffins to be something you could enjoy at breakfast I wanted it to be healthier than your averange muffin. To try to achieve this I used wholemeal flour, quinoa flakes (for a bit of protein) and reduced the amount of sugar, because the last thing you want for your first meal of the day is a massive sugar hit.
I’m not usually a fan of breakfast cakes or pastries, in fact my usual breakfast is wholegrain toast with vegemite and a cup of tea, but I was really pleased with how the muffins turned out. They were exactly as I envisaged – delicious without being overly sweet and they were also quite filling too and are just the thing for a breakfast on the go.
Do you have a favourite breakfast muffin recipe? What do you usually have for breakfast?
- 1¾ cups of wholemeal flour
- ½ cup of quinoa flakes
- 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon
- 1 egg
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of honey
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 110ml of vegetable oil
- zest and juice of 2 oranges
- 1 cup of buttermilk
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius (375 Fahrenheit) and line a muffin tin with liners.
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, quinoa and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl combine the egg, buttermilk, oil, honey, orange zest and juice and whisk to combine and add to the flour and mix until just combined.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared muffin liners, filling them until almost full. Sprinkle the top with a little extra quinoa and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Lovely combination of flavors and gorgeous clicks J!
Love the use of quinoa. I've never used it in a dessert before. Sometime I find muffins can be a bit too heavy but these sound fab!
Oh, I love sweets for breakfast, but mine are a little bit more different and easy... like fruit smoothies, just some fresh fruit or even in the days I eat something more like whole grains, I always add a teaspoon of honey and fruits in it :)
Meaning I would love the idea of these orange honey muffins for breakfast. They look delicious!
I love using quinoa flakes or quinoa flour in baking. These sound perfect!
Yummmmmm! These sound amazing!!! I'll definitely make these!
Can I come to breakfast at your house?? I hardly have time to put anything in my mouth, since I have to get both the kiddos fed and dressed. I should get up earlier...um, on second thought maybe not. ;-)
Hi Katie,
Of course you are welcome to come over for breakfast :D You could always make the muffins the night before and warm them up in the morning.
who can say no to muffins for breakfast and specially when it's healthy and presented that beautifully! :)
It's funny how muffins here in Holland are not used very often for breakfast at all. I've seen them used when I was in the US but over here it's usually something like yogurt and granola or a plain sandwich. I do love the look of these delicious muffins and with flavors like that it will have to be a winner. I've never seen quinoa flakes though...
Fantastic! I could scent the aromatic fragrance of the cinnamon on that muffins. Looks yummy and adorable.
This sounds so different, but so delicious!!
Like you, I'm not a big fan of cake for breakfast (unless I'm feeling stupidly indulgent, and eating a massive slab of chocolate cake once in a blue moon). I tend towards toast rather than muffins, but my mum makes a gorgeous chilli, corn and polenta savoury muffin which works really well at breakfast. These look lovely too - I like the idea of making them a little healthier, and adding some protein in the form of quinoa.
I'm usually too hungry when I wake up to whip up any fancy things, so no muffins for me, unless I make them the night before. I love the idea of adding quinoa for that extra nutrition and honey-cinnamon is a newfound combination for me, one that I love with my pancakes and I can just imagine how delicious they'll taste in a muffin :D
Like you I love a good piece of vegemite toast for breakfast :) But I have to say these breakfast muffins look like something I would really enjoy!! I love your clever combination of yummy flavours and ingredients, they do indeed look super tasty and healthy too!!
Glad to see I am not alone in my love of vegemite toast Trudy :D
I usually have porridge with berries and a small swirl of manuka honey. These muffins look like they would tick all the boxes for me for a healthy, filling and tasty breakfast
Lovely recipe! I'm trying to make these now but I'm not sure what you mean by quinoa flakes. Is it uncooked quinoa? or ground up quinoa? or cooked? I'm going to try this with a cup of cooked quinoa and see how it turns out. :)
Hi Deepa,
You can purchase flaked quinoa at the supermarket or whole food store. It's different to regular quinoa and looks a lot like oats. I use this because it requires no cooking. Let me know how you go with the cooked quinoa. :D
Just had a taste! It turned out great. I didn't have buttermilk so I subbed 1/2 cup of milk and used 1/2 cup cooked quinoa. I also added agave instead of honey. This one's a keeper. Thanks!
Thanks fantastic Deepa. I am so glad you enjoyed them, and the substitutions you made sound great. When I was putting this recipe I actually wanted to use agave but couldn't find any. I will try it again with agave. Thanks for the feedback and enjoy your muffins!! :D
I just completed buying all the ingredients in this recipe. I can't wait to cook up my own dish! I bet this will be delicious!
Hi Irene, let me know how you go with the muffins! :D
Thanks fantastic Deepa. I didn’t have buttermilk so I subbed 1/2 cup of milk and used 1/2 cup cooked quinoa.
These muffins sound great! Love the idea of the quinoa flakes & flour.
Thank you so much Marla :D